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Ankara and Denizli are destinations for cultural and historical tourism in Turkey. Ankara is Turkey’s capital city and Denizli is a province where major tourist destinations Pamukkale, a “cotton castle” (actually a white rock formation), and Hierapolis, an ancient Greco-Roman ruin, are located. Both Pamukkale and Hierapolis are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Getting to Turkey

Turkey’s main international airport is Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, the cultural and financial capital. Therefore, it’s easier to fly to Istanbul from the US, since it’s the destination of so many more flights: All direct and most indirect flights go to Istanbul. If you are traveling from a European city, on the other hand, you might find that, especially during the summer, there are frequent flights to Izmir, Dalaman and Antalya in the southwest near the coast.

Getting to Ankara

There are frequent flights to Ankara from Istanbul, Izmir, Dalaman and Antalya. Tickets for these flights can be cheap, especially in the off-season. Alternatively, you can take the bus from one of these cities to Ankara, though it will probably cost about the same as a flight.

Travel Time

If you want to travel to Denizli from Ankara, the easiest and quickest method is taking a bus. One of the major bus companies traveling throughout Turkey is named after a major Denizli destination: Pamukkale Turizm. Other major bus companies include Kamil Koç, Ulusoy, Metro and Varan. The distance between Ankara and Denizlo is about 288 miles via the most direct route. According to Pamukkale Turizm’s website, the travel time between Ankara and Denizli is between six and seven hours, including a half-hour rest stop. If you take the midnight bus from Ankara, you will arrive at Denizli at 6:45 a.m., according to the company's timetable.

Denizli

Most travelers visit Denizli to see Pamukkale, a unique rock formation consisting of terraced pools, and Hierapolis, which features hot springs and a number of sarcophagi. Pamukkale and Hierapolis are adjacent and about 10 miles outside of the city center. The bus will take you to a major transportation hub in downtown Denizli, where you can catch a “dolmuş” (pronounced doll-moosh), a sort of shuttle bus, or a cab to Pamukkale.

References

About the Author

Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mike Venture has been writing since 2005. He has written for the RAND Corporation, Sterling & Ross Publishers and Metropol Literary Agency. He has also worked as a technical writer at several software start-ups. Venture holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh.

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